TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring primary students causal reasoning about ecosystems
AU - Zangori, Laura
AU - Ke, Li
AU - Sadler, Troy D.
AU - Peel, Amanda
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant IIA-1355406 and the MU Office of Research, Graduate Studies, and Economic Development Research Grant #URC-17-102-r. The ideas expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. We appreciate the interest and participation of the teachers and students who made this work possible.
Funding Information:
This research was supported by the National Science Foundation [grant number IIA-1355406] and the University of Missouri Office of Research, Graduate Studies, and Economic Development Research [grant number URC-17-102-r]. The ideas expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant IIA-1355406 and the MU Office of Research, Graduate Studies, and Economic Development Research Grant #URC-17-102-r. The ideas expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. We appreciate the interest and participation of the teachers and students who made this work possible.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2020/7/23
Y1 - 2020/7/23
N2 - Using socio-scientific issues (SSI) in the science learning environment can promote student motivation to learn and make learning experiences more meaningful. Embedding model-based reasoning opportunities in science lessons can promote substantial science learning. However, how these both work together to promote science learning is a little studied area. We focused on this area by exploring if and how model-based reasoning supported 3rd-grade students in considering complex causal interaction patterns. We co-designed, with four 3rd-grade teachers, a unit on ecosystem interactions using an approach we call model-oriented issue-based learning. The modelling and issue lesson sequences varied across classrooms. In two classrooms, students wrote their positions on a prairie restoration issue, then model-based reasoned about interactions in an ecosystem before re-considering their position on the SSI. In the other two classrooms, students wrote their position on the SSI, participated in an SSI lesson, then rewrote their positions. Students from the two classrooms that model-based reasoned between SSI writings showed growth in their consideration of interaction patterns, while students from the other two classrooms did not. Implications suggest model-based reasoning may support students in considering complex causal interactions while the issue provided a context to reason about these issues in a familiar and relevant way.
AB - Using socio-scientific issues (SSI) in the science learning environment can promote student motivation to learn and make learning experiences more meaningful. Embedding model-based reasoning opportunities in science lessons can promote substantial science learning. However, how these both work together to promote science learning is a little studied area. We focused on this area by exploring if and how model-based reasoning supported 3rd-grade students in considering complex causal interaction patterns. We co-designed, with four 3rd-grade teachers, a unit on ecosystem interactions using an approach we call model-oriented issue-based learning. The modelling and issue lesson sequences varied across classrooms. In two classrooms, students wrote their positions on a prairie restoration issue, then model-based reasoned about interactions in an ecosystem before re-considering their position on the SSI. In the other two classrooms, students wrote their position on the SSI, participated in an SSI lesson, then rewrote their positions. Students from the two classrooms that model-based reasoned between SSI writings showed growth in their consideration of interaction patterns, while students from the other two classrooms did not. Implications suggest model-based reasoning may support students in considering complex causal interactions while the issue provided a context to reason about these issues in a familiar and relevant way.
KW - ecosystem learning
KW - Elementary/primary school
KW - model-based reasoning
KW - modelling
KW - socio-scientific issues
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U2 - 10.1080/09500693.2020.1783718
DO - 10.1080/09500693.2020.1783718
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85087522763
VL - 42
SP - 1799
EP - 1817
JO - International Journal of Science Education
JF - International Journal of Science Education
SN - 0950-0693
IS - 11
ER -